Hand brake



W. A. GEIGER.

I HAND BRAKE. APPLICATION man APR.3.1919. LU3J555 Patented Jan. W, 1922..

i 20 a 22 Fag! i r V 'i J 9 25 Z If l I l g if P 'l Z5 f WILLIAM: A. GEIGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO WILIEIIAQEK H. MINER, OF GHAZY, NEW YORK.

HAND BRA E.

memos.

Application filed April 3,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM A. a citizen of the United States, resitiing at hicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hand Brakes, of which the following is a full, clear. concise and exact descri ition, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, "forming a part of this s ecification.

This invention relates to improvements in hand brakes.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and ei'licient hand brake particularly adapted for use on freight cars.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure l is {.11 elerational view ot'a portion of a hand brake ot' a freight car showing my improvements in connec tion therewith. Parts ot' the'vertical brake stal'l are broken away in order to better accommodate the view on the sheet; 31nd 2 and 3 are horizontal. sectional views taken on the lines 22 and 3-?3, respectivel x of Fig. 1. in Fig.1. the operating lever is in its depending ttical position and the section thereof is mad, correspoinlinggly.

In said drawings, 10 denotes a vert cal brake stat? of a hand brake arrangement such as is most common on railway box cars and other freight cars. As customary the same passes through a platform ll on which the brakenian usually stands when amilyin a the brake and in'nnediat-ely adjacent said platform, the stall l has rigidly secured thereto in any suitable 1112. ncr a ratchet wheel 12 with which is n dapted to cooperate a lioot-cmitrolled locking 13.

it the app r end of the sta tl ith the same is provided with a squared or other noncircular sction 14; and above that a round HL a1 15 ot lesser diameter than the diaineter of the main portion ct the stali.

Mounted on the squared section l t oi the stall is a. ratchet wheel 1th the 9211118, 0' course being rotatable in unison with. the stall at all. times.

Eotatably or oscillatably mounted on the stat? below the ratchet wheel 16 an arm 17 extending radially and having an enlargedouter end 18 adapted to form a hearing. Also. mounted on the staff 10 above the ratchet wheel 16 and on the reduced cir- Specification of Letters Patent.

1919. Serial No. 287,216.

cular section is another arm 20 which extends radially and is provided at its outer end with an enlargement 21 adapted also to form a bearing. interposed between the arms 17 and 20 is a pawl 23 having a tooth 2% oscillatable in the plane of the ratchet wheel 16 and cooperable with the teeth of the latter. Said pawl has an enlarged hub fitting between the bosses 18 and 21 of the supporting arms 1? and 20. Said hub has preteral'ily formed integra therewith upwardly and downwardly extending circular lugs 19 and 115) journaled in said enlarged ends 18 and 21, and for 'iing a pivotal mounting for the pawl about a vertical axis or axis parallel to the stall 10. T he lugs 19 and 119 are pr l? rably threaded to accoinn'iodate nuts 22 by which, all the parts are held in assembled relation.

Extending transversely through the hub of the pawl 28 and centrally thereof, is a pivot forming bolt 25 carrying the forked ends 2626 of an operating lever or handle 27. The handle 27 is shown by full. lines in Figs. 1. and in its horizontal operative positioin but it is evident that the same is adapted to fall, under the inliuence or gravit-y to a depending vertical position as indicated by the dotted lines in If-ig'. 1. In order to limit the upward n'ioveinent of the handle 2? so that it cannot pass beyond a horizontal position, the same is formed with a trans-verse web or wall 28 having an inner edge 29 acting; a shoulder to engage the hearing! 2t oi? the upper arm 20 as shown in Fi i r d S winding; ratchet mechanism he out of engageine t with its cooperating; rat het wheel in order to prevent possibility of the operat ing: handle heinf suddenly swung a hit the oral: .man. i this result and do it autoineticall ride a laterally extendin lug or c the lower arm 17 with which the L of the handle 27 is adapted to c handle 2? i'alls to its vertical position T is is shown by the dotted lines in 1 tby The operative edge of the lug or earn is so placed that the handle 27 and pawl 23 will be forced to turn about the vertical axis of the pawl sutiiciently to throw the tooth. 2st or" the pawl out of en gagement with the ratchet wheel 16, as shown in Fig. In this manner, the tooth 26L will be positively thrown out of engagement from the ratchet wheel when the handle 27 reaches its depending vertical inoperative position.

The operation is as follows: Assuming the handle 27 in its vertical inoperative posi tion, the brakeman first elevates the same to horizontal position and then pulls the handle toward him to engage the tooth 24 with tl e-ratc-het wheel 16. Continued movement of the handle in the direction indicated will, of course, rotate the staff 10 in a clockwise direction as viewed in l igs. 2 and 8. The staff 10 is held against reverse rotation by the foot-operated dog 13 and ratchet wheel 12 in the usual manner. Having rotat-ed the staff a partial rotation as indicated, the bralreman then moves the handle 27 in a counterclockwise direction until a new engagement is effected with the ratchet wheel 16, the operation being repeated as much as necessary. ll hen the brake chain is suiiiciently tightened, the bralreman releases the handle 27 which falls to its inoperative position, simultaneously disengaging the tooth 24 from the ratchet wheel 14. When it is desired to release the bral ce chain, the bralreman merely hicks out the dog 13 in the usual manner.

I claim:

1. In a brake, the combination with a brake staff having a ratchet wheel rotatable in unison therewith, or" supporting means oscillatably mounted with respect to said staff in proximity to said ratchet wheel, an operating handle pivotally attached to said supporting means by a universal joint, and a pawl cooperable with said ratchet wheel and limited to oscillation in the plane thereof about a pivotal axis coinciding with one of the axes of said universal joint.

9.. In a brake, the combination with a brake staff having a ratchet wheel rotatable in unison therewith, of supporting means oscillatably mounted with respect to said staff in proximity to said ratchet wheel, an operating handle pivotally supported from said means to swing about an axis parallel to the axis of the staff, a pawl cooperable with said ratchet wheel and also pivotally mounted from said means about said pivot, and limited to oscillation in theplane of said ratchet wheel, said handle being also pivotally mounted to swing about another axis perpendicular to the first named axis and adapted to fall under the influence of gravity, and means for moving said pawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheel when said handle falls under the influence of gravity.

In a brake, the combination with a brake staff having a ratchet wheel rotatable in unison therewith, oi supporting means oscillatably mounted with respect to said staff adjacent said ratchet wheel, a pawl 'cooperable with said ratchet wheel and limited to oscillation in the plane of said ratchet wheel, and an operating handle, said pawl and handle being pivotally mounted about an axis parallelto the axis of the staff and both supported by said means, oscillation of said handle about said pivot eli'ecting simultaneous oscillation of the pawl, said handle being also pivotally mounted about another axis perpendicular to the first named pivotal axis.

4. In a brake, the combination with a vertical brake staff having a ratchet wheel rotatable in unison therewith, of a pair of arms oscillatably mounted 011 said staff on opposite sides of said ratchet wheel, a pawl cooperable with said ratchet'wheel and provided with pivotal bearings in said arms, said pawl being oscillatable in the plane of the ratchet wheel, and an operating handle pivotally mounted on said pawl about an axis perpendicular to the pivotal axis of oscillation of said pawl, said handle being adapted to fall about the second named pivotal axis, under the influence of gravity, to a depending inoperative position.

5. In a brake, the combination with a vertical brake staff having a ratchet wheel rotatahle in unison therewith, of a pair of arms osoillatably mounted on said staff on opposite sides of said ratchet wheel, a pawl cooperable with said ratchet wheel and pro vided with pivotal hearings in said arms, said pawl being oscillatable in the plane of the ratchet wheel, an operating handle pivotallymounted on said pawl about an axis perpendicular to the pivotal axis of oscillation of said pawl, saidhandle being adapted to fall about the second named pivotal axis, under the influence of gravity, to a depending inoperative position, and cooperating means on the lower of said supporting arms and said handle adapted to effect oscillation of the handle and pawl about the first named pivotal axis, as the handle falls, to disengage the pawl from the ratchet wheel.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th day of March, 1919.

WILLIAM a. serene.

VVitn'ess CARRIE GAILING. 

